the means by which the presence, quality, or genuineness of anything is determined; a means of trial.
the trial of the quality of something.
to put to the test.
a particular process or method for trying or assessing.
a set of questions, problems, or the like, used as a means of evaluating the abilities, aptitudes, skills, or performance of an individual or group; examination.
Psychology. a set of standardized questions, problems, or tasks designed to elicit responses for use in measuring the traits, capacities, or achievements of an individual.
Chemistry.
the process of identifying or detecting the presence of a constituent of a substance, or of determining the nature of a substance, commonly by the addition of a reagent.
the reagent used.
an indication or evidence of the presence of a constituent, or of the nature of a substance, obtained by such means.
an oath or other confirmation of one's loyalty, religious beliefs, etc.
British. a cupel for refining or assaying metals.
to undergo a test or trial; try out.
to perform on a test.
People test better in a relaxed environment.
to conduct a test.
to test for diabetes.
Zoology. the hard, protective shell or covering of certain invertebrates, as echinoderms or tunicates.
Botany. testa.
testator.
testimony.
to ascertain (the worth, capability, or endurance) of (a person or thing) by subjection to certain examinations; try
(often foll by for) to carry out an examination on (a substance, material, or system) by applying some chemical or physical procedure designed to indicate the presence of a substance or the possession of a property
to test food for arsenic
to test for magnetization
(intr) to achieve a specified result in a test
a quarter of the patients at the clinic tested positive for the AIDS virus
(tr) to put under severe strain
the long delay tested my patience
to make an exploratory or initial approach; sound out
a method, practice, or examination designed to test a person or thing
a series of questions or problems designed to test a specific skill or knowledge
an intelligence test
a standard of judgment; criterion
a chemical reaction or physical procedure for testing a substance, material, etc
a chemical reagent used in such a procedure
litmus is a test for acids
the result of the procedure or the evidence gained from it
the test for alcohol was positive
sport See test match
archaic a declaration or confirmation of truth, loyalty, etc; oath
(modifier) performed as a test
test drive
test flight
the hard or tough outer covering of certain invertebrates and tunicates
a variant of testa
What is a basic definition of test? A test is a series of questions or problems that is used to determine a person’s ability or understanding of something. More generally, test refers to a trial, experiment, or examination that is designed to determine the qualities or characteristics of someone or something. As a verb, test means to assess someone’s knowledge or abilities, to put someone or something through a trial, or to try something out. The word test has several other senses as a noun and a verb. A test is a collection of questions, tasks, or problems that are designed to see if a person understands a subject or to measure their ability to do something. Real-life examples: Most schooling involves taking tests in many subjects, such as math and history. Lawyers must do well on a particularly difficult test, known as the bar examination, to be able to practice law. Used in a sentence: I studied all night for my chemistry test. Test can also be used in this context as a verb meaning to administer such a test. Real-life examples: Teachers test their students’ knowledge by giving them quizzes and tests. Used in a sentence: Yes, you will be tested on this. As a noun, test also refers to an experiment or trial that is designed to discover information about something. Real-life examples: Scientists and researchers create many tests (often called experiments) to learn new information or to see if a hypothesis is correct. A test of a chemical might involve how it reacts with other chemicals. Companies and businesses use safety tests to see if their products are safe for customers. A pregnancy test analyzes body fluids for hormones to determine whether someone is pregnant. Used in a sentence: The scientists used several different tests to determine how much pollution was in the drinking water. Related to this sense, test can mean to put something through a trial or test or to try it. Real-life examples: People often test products before purchasing them. When buying a car, you can test how it drives by taking it on a test drive. Testing a person often involves making them endure some kind of trial. Used in a sentence: The boss is just testing you because you’re new—he wants to see if you can handle the pressure.
See trial.
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: test(e), tast(e) “crucible; cupel,” from Old French “test, teste,” Latin testū, testum “earthenware pot”; akin to test 2
First recorded in 1840–45; from Latin testa “tile, shell, covering”; akin to test 1
If your boss tells you not to test her patience, she means don't push her today, because she might just snap. Surely you're familiar with vocabulary tests? In this case, someone is giving you difficult questions to see how much you know. Test more generally means "trial." If you test a soap on your skin, you use it on one small patch, to see if you'll have an allergic reaction. A drug test looks for the presence of drugs in your system. A difficult time in life is sometimes called "a test," because it's testing your strength to persevere.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The incident set off alarms at OpenAI, which shut down systems it uses to test its AI models after it learned of the incident, to assess the damage and prevent further breakouts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The test is a digital game of capture the flag: Once the AI gets in, it must prove it by capturing a long, randomly generated string of letters and numbers stored on the system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Love Island USA,” the American version of the U.K. series, streams on Peacock and follows a cast of singles as they search for love and test their connections.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Doing it again against a summer of change will be another test of the manager's skill.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Elliot had his final test tomorrow, and then he’d move up and be gone.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
"We felt that airflow increase on the 4850 Level during that test. That's what made the correlation and triggered everything," Connot said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
“We talk about the mirror test. Don’t worry about what your coach says, don’t worry about what your other teammates say,” Chesney said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2026
“Prostate cancer screenings. They’ve learned there is a simple, finger-free blood test. Roughly one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. And I was one of them.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
"I've already taken this test. I contacted World Boxing, I sent them my medical records, my hormone tests, everything. But I haven't had any response. I'm not hiding, I'm not refusing the tests."
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
“I dunno whether it’s worth me taking the test. I just can’t get the hang of Apparition.”
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
"We've got loads of time, there's about 12 weeks until the first Test. We'll see how the next little bit pans out."
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2025
“It’s really good for a young guy to put in a performance that wins England a Test. He was pretty emotional at the end. It’s a pretty cool day for him.”
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2024
“Brisbane is something we can look at. We came back and we won the Test. If we can replicate that, all of us will be really happy,” added Da Silva.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2024
Baum, meanwhile, insists that England must now press their advantage home and win the fifth Test. "2-2 would be a hollow outcome," he says.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 29, 2010
Swete, Introd. to the Old Test. in Greek, 257 seq.;
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7 "Equation" to "Ethics" by Various
What made the Pogacar and Vingegaard tests so remarkable is that they took place in the middle of the night, outside the normal 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. window.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Any change would require a vote by the regents, who have final say over both the tests and the courses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
The agency said samples of the foamy substance, as well as soil and water from a nearby stream, had been collected for laboratory tests to determine their composition and potential environmental impact.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Whether that’s likely to lead to greater or less political coherence and national conflict is impossible to say, but both systems will face severe stress tests in the years ahead.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
I’d sat in on enough of these tests to know that protocol dictated that we sit and watch our recap in front of the panel.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
So far in 2026, 22 bats have tested positive for rabies in San Diego County.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Kniel said her lab has tested the effects of rinsing cyclospora off produce, and found that it removes some eggs, but not all of them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Lucas Digne is expected to join Paris St-Germain and Villa could still have their resolve tested by Arsenal for Ezri Konsa.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
It was first synthesized and tested in the late 1980s in Russia, where it can be used for research purposes.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
I tested every handhold for loose rocks and moved only in the thunderclaps of cannon fire as they echoed in the gorge.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
OpenAI was testing its state-of-the-art model, called GPT‑5.6 Sol, and another more capable one that hasn’t been released.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Board of Regents Chair Maria Anguiano has since said the admissions debate had focused “too narrowly” on testing and called for “a fresh look at how we define and evaluate college readiness.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
A series of exam irregularities in India have undermined trust in the testing system, including the leak of a medical entrance question paper that forced more than two million candidates to retake the test.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Three years ago, the FDA placed restrictions on 14 peptides over safety risks, meaning they now fall somewhere between the unregulated world of supplements and the highly structured process of testing new drugs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
That fall he went back to the hospital for a week or two of follow-up testing.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
